'There is no secret to being a good husband': Jeffrey Xu and Felicia Chin on how they maintain marriage 1 year on

It seems just yesterday that local actors Felicia Chin and Jeffrey Xu tied the knot in a classic church ceremony.

But come next month, it'll be one year of wedded bliss for the celebrity couple.

In a recent interview with Shin Min Daily News, they revealed that they will be going to Okinawa for four days to celebrate their anniversary.

Jeffrey, 34, added that it was where they initially planned to get married, but settled for Singapore as it didn't line up with their schedules.

"Once, when Felicia was done filming a show, my gift to her was a trip to Okinawa," Jeffrey said. "She went alone at that time and enjoyed it, because the pace of life there is very slow, so she said that we should go together next time.

"Now we have found the time, so we decided to go together and take a break."

Japan was also where the couple spent their belated honeymoon back in March.

Felicia and Jeffrey also shared their tips on how to maintain a good relationship.

Felicia recommended using your partner's preferred love language to fill their "love library" so it'll be easier to tackle any friction in your relationship.

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"For example, Jeffrey likes to do common activities together, and I will find time for us to ride bicycles together so I can talk to him more," she said.

"Jeffrey also knows that my top love language is physical touch, so when I'm sad, he'll take my hand or hold me."

She also emphasised the importance of people expressing feelings clearly for their partners to understand them better.

When asked for the secret to being a good husband, Jeffrey insisted there is none.

"It's only that, after my wife has finished a day's work, I'll pick her up when I'm free, and ask her how she is doing and be thoughtful," he said.

"At home, I also need to contribute to household chores, because the home doesn't just belong to one person, we all have to contribute to each other."

While Jeffrey and Felicia have their own ways to maintain a harmonious relationship, they also have their tiffs.

In a previous interview with AsiaOne, Felicia revealed how they had quarrelled while managing a stall for variety show Pasar Malam Stars.

"During our onscreen discussion, we thought of selling cold brew tea and Korean food and didn't come to a complete conclusion. We continued our discussions off-screen," she said.

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"We only reached home at 1am and continued talking till 2am. I remember we even quarrelled till past 3am and didn't reconcile before going to bed."

In fact, there were even tensions between the couple when they got to work the next day at 9am, and Felicia told us they didn't talk much while getting their makeup done.

"It was only after makeup that we hugged and kissed each other to reconcile," Felicia elaborated.

The moral of the story according to Felicia? "Don't talk when we're tired."

In their Shin Min interview, the couple revealed further how they manage arguments, with Jeffrey saying that they give each other space and only talk it out after they've dealt with their negative emotions.

Felicia added that they both take the initiative to apologise if they've said or done something they shouldn't have, and express concern for each other's feelings.

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drimac@asiaone.com